National Juried Show painting 'Snowy Morning Walk'

Truffled Macaroni and Cheese developed by Pastel Painter Cooks

Individual mini casseroles to freeze and bake later.

I start with a basic microwave cream sauce then add my choice of cheeses, mix in macaroni and top with truffle and Parmesan infused panko bread crumbs.

So let's get started....

Cream Sauce

4 tablespoons melted butter

4 tablespoons flour

2 cups of milk

Pinch nutmeg

1/4 tsp. cayenne 

In a microwave bowl melt 4 tablespoons butter remove and whisk in 4 tablespoons flour.

Then whisk in 2 cups of milk, microwave until sauce thickens maybe five minutes, stir in between. Add two cups of your choice of grated cheese( I use white cheeses such as a mix of Swiss,Monterey Jack and Fontina.

Let sit to melt cheese or put back in micro to melt.

Add pinch of nutmeg,1/4 tsp. cayenne and pinch garlic powder. I don't add salt as the cheese can be enough with macaroni cooked in salted water, but that's your choice!

Boil 2 cups of any pasta in salted water and drain.

Add to cheesy cream sauce and mix.

Panko Bread Crumbs

Place 1 cup plain Panko bread crumbs in a bowl and add 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese grated.

Mix and add 2 tablespoons of melted butter to which you add one tablespoon of white truffle oil and mix. Pour crumbs over macaroni/pasta that you have place in a large casserole or individual ramekins.

Bake at 325° in a preheated oven for about 15 min. till  bubbly, or wrap individual ramekins with plastic wrap to serve later. You can freeze before baking then remove and bake later. You can also reheat by just microwaving as panko crumbs stay crunchy.

I developed this recipe because I fell in love with a Truffled  Mac and Cheese frozen food by evol that I found at Target for $4 a small container.  

This is Yummo! 

What's on the Easel?

Sometimes you just need to use some of those apples you put in a bowl for inspiration.

So shine a little light on the apples and get some reflections and highlights. This 8x8 pastel on Uart paper : Apples In A Bennington Bowl ...the Apples have been eaten but the memory of their beauty lingers on in this painting for $ 100 unframed + shipping .

POP ART (pieces of painting )

I often think certain little areas of my paintings attract me more than others, that's why we sometimes "crop" a painting. So here is a POP of "Maui Morning" a 9x12 pastel of a Maui beach we stayed at.

Artisan Bread

Recipe of the Month

✔️No Knead Artisan Bread Recipe 🔆🔆🔆

 

Prep time

3 hours

Cook time

25 mins

Total time

3 hours 25 mins

Ingredients

1½ cup warm water 100˚ F.

½ Tbsp salt

¾ Tbsp yeast

3¼ cups better for bread flour OR unbleached, all-purpose flour + extra flour for dusting

What you will need:

Parchment paper

Instructions

Add 1½ cups of warm water and ½ Tbsp of salt to a large bowl. Sprinkle ¾ Tbsp of yeast over the top and let it sit 1-2 minutes, then stir.

Measure out exactly 3 cups of flour (fill the measuring cup and scrape off the top with the back of a knife) and add flour to the bowl.

Using a spatula, stir the mixture until it all comes together and is well blended.

Cover dough with plastic wrap or lid and let it rise at room temperature 2 hours (It rises about 2-3 times in volume).

Line a cutting board with parchment paper and generously dust with flour.

Scrape dough out of the bowl with spatula onto the floured surface.

With well-floured hands, fold the dough in half, then fold the dough in half again. Dust the dough generously with flour, lift it up and form a ball in your hands.

Place the dough over the floured parchment paper, seam side down.

Let it rise on the counter uncovered for 40 minutes. It will look like this when it’s ready to bake:

You will need two shelves in the oven. The middle rack will hold the bread and the bottom rack will hold the water pan. For the bread, use a rimless cookie sheet in the center of the oven. You can also use a regular cookie sheet and turn it upside down. About 10 min before the dough has finished rising, preheat the oven and the cookie sheet to 450˚ F.

Once dough is ready to bake, dust the top with flour and cut three strips across the top with a serrated or very sharp knife.

Once the oven is preheated, put baking dish on bottom rack and pour 1 cup hot water to that baking dish.

Slide the dough with the parchment paper onto the hot cookie sheet and bake at 450˚ F for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

Remove from oven and let it cool down a little before cutting into it.

What's on the Easel ..

I've been working on several paintings and one that I wanted to try is something in the style of Edward Hopper .and an artist I know David Arsenault ..I love the angular lines and the lites and darks and starkness of David's  paintings , this style is very difficult for me as I like a more expressionistic approach , but heck it's work a try ! 

Though this is not finished here is "Mike's"